Are you who you think you are?
The H-Bomb: Research scientist Martin Harris (Liam Neeson) arrives in Berlin with his wife Liz (January Jones) for a conference on new bio-fuel technology. Martin gets into a nasty car accident that puts him into a coma for four days. When he finally comes to, his memory is a little hazy, but, as it turns out, that’s the least of his problems. His wife doesn’t seem to recognize him at all, and insists that this other man, who looks like Aidan Quinn, is her husband instead. This gentleman claims that he is Martin Harris, and unlike the real Martin Harris, he has the I.D. and passport to prove it.
Now Martin, understandably baffled, has to go about proving that he is who he knows he is and getting to the bottom of who stole his identity and why. He seeks out Gina (Diane Kruger), the woman who was driving the taxi he was in when it crashed, and Jurgen (Bruno Ganz), a former member of the East German Secret Police, for help. However, his situation worsens when he realizes that, surprise, surprise, there are goons out to kill him. Paranoid types would probably be thinking that there’s a vaster conspiracy at play… and they would be right, too.
The whole set up of a character having their identity stolen and them trying to reclaim it has been done before in other films, one example that springs to mind would be the 90’s Sandra Bullock flick, “The Net”, and it always works in creating immediate intrigue in the story. Who stole this man’s name, and why? It works especially well here because we have an actor of Neeson’s abilities as our protagonist. He’s one of those few actors who can elevate most films he’s in (like “Taken”). Through the strength of his performance, Neeson makes us feel his character’s confusion and frustration. He takes what could have been a typical, polished-but-unremarkable Hollywood thriller, and turns it into something more.
He’s not alone in this. The direction by Jaume Collet-Serra (who made the decent “Orphan”), is very strong. He keeps the pace tight and the suspense high, never allowing the film to drag, as more and more of the mystery is revealed. He also does fine work handling the action in the film, which always holds our attention and is sweetly brutal at times.
The movie also gets a hefty boost from its supporting cast. Okay, so we didn’t exactly buy Kruger as Helen of Troy, but between this and her turn in “Inglourious Basterds”, I say she’s a damn fine actress (fine in more ways than one), and has good chemistry with Neeson playing his reluctant helper… though I am not so sure about her attempt at a Bosnian accent. Jones is solid as Martin’s wife, despite not having very much screen time. We’re not certain if she’s actually in on the plot, or if she’s been blackmailed into going along with it, and she plays that ambiguity perfectly.
Aidan Quinn… my God, he’s still alive! He’s definitely older now, and looking a tad puffy, but he’s here, and he does great work as the villainous Martin impostor. Where the hell has he been all these years? I can’t even remember the last time I saw him in anything. Bruno Ganz, one of my favorite character actors, is in fine, if somewhat decrepit form, as the sympathetic ex-spy with a shady past. He brings a healthy, yet subtle dose of comic relief to the proceedings, which is appreciated. That old goat Frank Langella (who’s everywhere these days) turns up late in the game as a character I can’t say too much about, without giving things away that I shouldn’t. His role is fairly short, but he makes it memorable.
As far as complaints go, there were things that happened in the third act that I just didn’t quite buy, even with my disbelief firmly suspended. Again, due to our esteemed editor’s “No Spoilers” policy, I can’t get into specifics. I’ll just say that a contrived plot twist is revealed. I remember rolling my eyes and thinking “Seriously?! Are you serious?!” when it reared its head.
All griping aside, “Unknown” is an entertaining, smarter-than-average Hollywood thriller with yet another stellar, classy performance by Liam Neeson. It’s no Oscar contender, that’s for sure, but in this bleak late winter movie season, when studios tend to just dump their undesirables into multiplexes like freshly soiled diapers, “Unknown” is that rare flick that’s actually worth catching in theaters… but only if you’ve seen all the Oscar contenders, of course.
